Fri, Jan 09, 2004
Medevac Bird Shot Down
An American Black Hawk
helicopter, performing Medevac duty, was shot down Thursday, near
Fallujah. Originally described as an emergency landing, the downed
Black Hawk had nine persons on board, now reported to all
be soldiers.
The area of the accident is a major area of concern in that it
has become a major battleground for Iraqi insurgents and has been
the scene of previous helicopter downings.
Military sources now say that the aircraft was crewed
entirely by soldiers, though a number of media reports
detailed conflicting stories that postulated as few as
four soldiers and as many as five "passengers" were on board
(though most reports now agree that there were a total of 9 people
on board), while the aircraft was a Medevac version. It has
not been disclosed as to whether the aircraft was on an actual
medical mission.
Another US chopper was downed on January 2nd, resulting in the
death of its pilot. Thursday's shootdown is reportedly the
deadliest aircraft-involved incident since November when two
Black Hawks were involved in a midair collision over Mosul during a
grenade attack.
Official DOD Statement
An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed
southeast of Fallujah, Iraq, today, killing all nine aboard,
coalition officials said during a press conference in Baghdad.
Officials do not know what caused the crash. A
quick-reaction team secured the area, and investigators are on the
scene. Early reports that the chopper was from the 82nd Airborne
Division are not true, said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt,
deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7.
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